🚀 Ready to Master Your Product Hunt Launch?

This expanded checklist is your tactical playbook. But remember: PH algorithms, community standards, and tactics are always evolving. This guide will get you 90% of the way there.

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Happy launching! 🚀

Product Hunt Do’s & Don’ts — EXPANDED VERSION

⚠️ Do’s & Don’ts (Extended Checklist)

❌ DON’T (Mistakes That Kill Your Launch)

Critical Mistakes (Ban Risk):

• ❌ Buy fake upvotes or “upvote boosting services”[web:88] (= instant ban)
• ❌ Create fake accounts just to upvote you[web:88]
• ❌ Ask people to create a PH profile only for your launch[web:88]
• ❌ Pay third-party services for votes[web:88]
• ❌ Spam communities demanding upvotes[web:88]

Strategic Mistakes (Visibility Risk):

• ❌ DM “please upvote me” to random PH users[web:88]
• ❌ Launch before you have ANY followers[web:88]
• ❌ Launch with low-quality assets (blurry screenshots, broken links)[web:88]
• ❌ Go silent after posting—disappear for 12 hours[web:88]
• ❌ Be overly salesy in comments (sounds like spam)[web:88]

Community Mistakes (Reputation Risk):

• ❌ Directly criticize competitor products on launch day[web:104]
• ❌ Try to sabotage someone else’s launch[web:88]
• ❌ Ignore negative feedback or be defensive[web:112]
• ❌ Comment only on your own product page (looks fake)[web:88]
• ❌ Use bot-like language or corporate speak[web:88]

Algorithm Pitfalls (Ranking Kill):

• ❌ Ask upvotes from brand-new PH accounts (algorithm penalizes)[web:88]
• ❌ Ask upvotes from ghost accounts (no activity, no followers)[web:88]
• ❌ Invite people with <5 PH followers[web:88]
• ❌ Get most upvotes at midnight (looks unnatural)[web:88]
• ❌ Have upvotes spike suddenly (looks like bot activity)[web:112]